The War Begins
by XxMoJo88xX
Summary: Year five arrives, and everything changes for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Will Ron and Hermione cease to be so thick? Sirius fights to prove his innocence, but at what cost? Formerly titled Uncontrollable Feelings. Rated T, just in case.
1. Hard Life at Grimmauld Place

Ron Weasley watched Hermione Granger eat dinner as if it was the first time he had ever properly looked at her. He couldn't believe that after all these years the two of them had been friends he had managed to miss the simple fact of how insanely hot she was. The way her hair flowed down past her shoulders… the way her forehead creased when she was on the way to answering a particularly challenging question… The way her shirts were beginning to fill out nicely, wrapped around her body in just the right way…

"RON!" hissed the seemingly always-angry Molly Weasley as she entered the kitchen holding a bit of laundry. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times! You need to clean yourself properly! The color brown should not be on your gray boxers!"

Fred and George burst into fits of laughter, Ginny giggled and dived under the table, Hermione choked on her piece of roast beef and quickly took a drink of pumpkin juice, and Ron felt his heart plunge somewhere around his navel as he shook off the pleasant thoughts he was having.

"Yeah, thanks, mum!" Ron shouted, his face steadily turning the color of his hair. He rested his chin on his palm as he poked his food with his fork, suddenly losing any hint of an appetite.

Fred and George began pounding the table, doubling over and crying. Suddenly, Sirius' mother began shrieking as usual, woken by the sudden uproar. Ron was nearly too embarrassed to breathe. He stole another look at Hermione and saw her hiding safely behind the _Daily Prophet_, which she had propped up against her glass of juice.

"Well, I see the laundry's done!" said Sirius with a grin as he entered the kitchen, having just silenced his mother for the umpteenth time. Ron's face continued to redden "How is the roast beef, Hermione?"

"Very good," Hermione said, causing Sirius to grab a plate of his own

"Good dear," Mrs. Weasley said as she entered the kitchen again. "Now Ron, tomorrow you and Hermione are going to exterminate lord-knows-what in the empty room on the second floor."

"You expect Hermione and I to do that by ourselves?" Ron asked.

"Only for a while, dear. I expect Harry will be arriving tomorrow afternoon."

Ron, who had been entirely wrapped up in how Hermione had developed, completely forgot that Harry was finally coming to stay with them. He had to say he wasn't looking forward to it, as Harry was most likely going to be furious about the lack of information he had been given over the summer. He let out a sigh and continued to poke his food.

"Oh, I do hope he isn't too angry," said Hermione, sounding slightly worried.

"I would be if I were him," said George, his fit of laughter having subsided.

"Well, we'll just have to make him feel as comfortable as possible," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Yes, as long as you don't mention any brown stains on his boxers, he should be fine," said Fred, causing another upheaval of laughter.

Ron stood up quickly and turned for the door. He saw Hermione was the only one not laughing, but instead was looking at him as though she felt sorry for him. He turned and didn't bother to look back as he left, determined to go up to his room and toss himself out the window. How could his summer be going so horribly wrong? All he wanted was for Hermione to actually notice him, and it seemed that would never happen… Not in a good way at least…

How could his mother be so thick as to shout something like that for the whole world to hear? And now, Harry was going to be arriving before Ron would have the chance to try and break the ice with Hermione again. He closed his door behind him when he got to his room and tossed himself down on his bed. The one comfort he had was that for tonight at least, he would have the room to himself, alone to contemplate his next attempt to shove himself into Hermione's heart.

"That must have been painful," said a voice from the empty picture on the wall. "Oh yes, I heard it all the way up here… Nasty little tidbit, I'd say."

Ron rolled over on his side as he heard someone climbing the stairs and going into a nearby room – no doubt Hermione going to Ginny's room, where she had been sleeping for a few weeks now. Ron pounded his pillow with a closed fist before allowing sleep to take hold.

Ron woke up the next morning and headed down to the kitchen, hoping upon hope today would be better than last night had been. Hermione was already at the table, sitting with a cup of coffee in front of her. Ron smiled to himself, noticing how perfectly the sunlight creeping through the window illuminated her hair. He made himself a plate and sat down next to her and pretended to read the _Daily Prophet_.

"Hi Ginny!" Hermione said. The youngest Weasley sat down across from them, a slightly disgruntled look on her face.

"Morning," she said stiffly.

"What's wrong?" Hermione said instantly. Ginny stole a glance at Ron, who was having a particularly hard time swallowing a bit of bacon, then shook her head.

"Nothing," Ginny said, tucking in. "Nothing important."

"Does it have to do with you-know-who?" Hermione said seriously.

"WHAT?" Ron shouted through his bacon. "What could Ginny possibly have to do with You-Know-Who? You're not being possessed again, are you?" he said worriedly.

"Not _YOU-KNOW-WHO,_" Hermione said exasperatedly. "You-know-who…"

"Who?" Ron said.

"It's nothing," Ginny said firmly, taking another bite of her food. Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione grabbed his leg under the table, telling him to drop it. Having her hand on his leg was enough to convince him to jump in front of a moving bus, so of course, he complied.

"What are you two doing today?" Ginny asked

"Exterminating _something_ for mum," said Ron dully.

"Ha," Ginny said. "I don't envy you."

"Yeah, me neither," said Ron. "We have no idea what we're up against."

"And then what are you going to do? Mum's little extermination can't take up all day, can it?"

"We'll be studying," answered Hermione.

"What?" asked Ron. In the back of his mind, the first word that he thought of was 'snogging.' "What is there to study? We're still on holiday!"

"Ron, fifth year is our O.W.L. year. We can never study enough," Hermione said brightly.

"She's got a point, you know," said Fred as he and George entered the room.

"If we'd have studied, we would have gotten say," said George.

"Nine?" said Fred

"Yes, Nine sounds good." said George with a nod.

"Nine OWLS," said Fred, grabbing a plate for himself.

"Nine combined, that is," said George with a grin.

"And I wish you would have studied," said Mrs. Weasley. "The pair of you might have done something worthwhile."

"Oh, don't worry, Mum… There's still time for us to do something worthwhile," said George with a grin.

"And that is exactly what has me worried." Mrs. Weasley replied.

"When is dad getting home?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, there's no telling, dear. The Ministry has been working him really hard lately."

"Isn't he going to get Harry today?" George asked, bewitching a bit of his bacon to fly across the room and hit a passing Kreacher in the back of the head, causing Hermione to gasp in frustration.

"No, of course not," Mrs. Weasley said. "Dumbledore has hand picked his escorts."

Just then, Sirius walked in yawning and stretching, his usually unkempt hair even more unkempt.

"Smells great, Molly," he said, sitting down next to Fred.

"Ok, you two," Mrs. Weasley said to Ron and Hermione, "let's go tackle whatever is in that room."

"Which room?" Sirius asked, spreading some butter on a slice of bread.

"The one on the second landing, just before the attic staircase," Mrs. Weasley answered.

"Good luck with that one. I've been trying to get that room in living condition for weeks."

With that statement, Ron knew that it was going to be a very long day indeed.

The extermination in the second floor room was a disaster for the most part. No matter what they tried, the creatures that had gained a firm foot hold on the house refused to budge, and around midday, when none of Gilderoy Lockhart's books contained an answer, Mrs. Weasley gave it up as useless.

After grabbing Hermione's books from Ginny's room, Ron and Hermione retreated to the room in which Ron was staying. As they went, Ron couldn't help but notice that Hermione's entire body was glistening. She was wearing a particularly low-cut shirt, and small drops of sweat were trickling down from her bushy hair, looking for a final resting place. He felt his pulse beginning to quicken, and turned his head away.

"So," she said, wiping the sweat off her neck slowly. "Where do you want to start? I thought we could work on transfiguration first, seeing as the teachers will undoubtedly be pushing us hard this year."

"If that's the case, we should start with potions," said Ron, bending down and reaching into his trunk for his potions book.

"That is true. Snape is undoubtedly going to be particularly cruel this year."

Ron watched as Hermione bent down to grab her potions book, unknowingly showing a fair amount more than she bargained for. Just then, the door opened and Ginny walked in.

"Why are you looking down Hermione's shirt?" she asked calmly.

Hermione stood up quickly, and pushed her shirt to her upper body, looking as thought she had just been severely violated.

"I wasn't… I only… They…" Ron stammered. "EVER HEARD OF KNOCKING?" he shouted, glaring at Ginny.

"This isn't technically _your_ room, so I don't have to knock." Ginny said as she sat down on the foot of Ron's bed.

"Then I'll just come barging into where you're sleeping. How about that?" Ron said.

"I don't think I would like that," Hermione said, her brow furrowed and her hand still clutching her shirt tightly against her chest.

Ron felt as though he had just been smashed full in the face by a hammer. He turned and sat down on his bed, opened his potions book, and pretended to read as if it was the only thing he cared about in the world.

Night crept upon them, and after several more hours of studying, Hermione and Ron went downstairs to grab a bite. The two of them had been relatively quiet towards each other, only talking about the subject matter. Ron had a feeling that Hermione, though having long since returned to her normal self, still held some reservations about him, as if he was constantly looking down her shirt.

They walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, where Bill, Mr. Weasley, and Sirius were talking frantically.

"No, that's not good enough. If we want someone watching it, we're going to have to do it in a way that no one notices." Mr. Weasley said.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Sirius asked, running has hand along his chin.

"Do what?" Ron asked. The three of them looked up and saw Hermione and Ron for the first time.

"Nothing," Mr. Weasley said evasively. "Nothing."

Ron and Hermione sat down at the table, waiting for Mrs. Weasley to bring the food in. Just then the doorbell rang and Sirius' mother began to wail once more.

"BLOOD TRAITERS! FILTHY VERMIN!"

Sirius ran out of the room to tend to the painting, and Mrs. Weasley walked in empty handed.

"You two, up to your room," she said quickly.

"But mum, we're starving!" Ron objected.

"Dinner will have to wait until after the meeting," Mrs. Weasley persisted.

"Meeting? The Order is having a meeting tonight?" Fred said as he and George entered. "Excellent!"

"Yes, The Order is having a meeting tonight, and as you are not members of the Order, you cannot attend," she said, steering them back out the door into the hall. She turned back to Hermione and Ron. "You two, come on."

Begrudgingly, Ron stood and led the way out the door. The two of them climbed back up the stairs, Mrs. Weasley hot on their heels, and went into Ron's room. Mrs. Weasley closed the door firmly behind them, and Ron sat down on his bed.

"I wonder what the meeting is going to be about tonight," Hermione said, crossing her arms and sitting on the bed that was going to be occupied by Harry.

"No clue. I'll bet it is important, though." Ron said.

The two of them fell into an uncomfortable silence. Ron glanced up at Hermione and was surprised to see her staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Why were you looking down my shirt?" she said. It was just like Hermione to get straight to the point.

"I wasn't doing it on purpose!" he shouted. "You bent over and my eyes sort of went there automatically." He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke. He looked up and saw that Hermione was still looking at him.

"That's it, is it?" she asked.

"Oh come on, Hermione! They're not exactly hard to notice," Ron said, his face going very red. Hermione blushed slightly and smiled, and the two of them returned to their silence, though not as cold as the silence before.

Suddenly, the door opened and Mrs. Weasley walked in carrying the laundry. Ron looked at the top of the pile and saw a pair of gray underwear. Hermione turned her head away, as if the sight of them would send her into a fit of laughter.

"Put these away quickly, dear, I expect Harry will be here soon," Mrs. Weasley said. Ron stood up and walked over to the pile. He looked down, and his eyes widened.

"Hey!" He shouted. Mrs. Weasley turned. "These aren't mine!" he said, handing her the gray boxers.

"Oh, sorry dear, these are your fathers'," with a smile, she took the boxers and left the room. As soon as the door closed, both Hermione and Ron burst into laughter. The soiled-looking boxers hadn't been his at all, and it all seemed very funny now.

The door opened again, and Mrs. Weasley poked her head in.

"SHHHH! You're going to wake that dreadful picture up again!" She opened the door a little wider, and Harry Potter stepped in. In a flash, Hermione dived across the room and flung herself around Harry's neck. Ron, although happy to see his best friend, couldn't help but want to curse him several thousand ways.


	2. The Prefect Lunch

A/N: This might resemble the beginning to the real Order of The Phoenix, but I'm trying to find ways to make it my own. Also, there will be a few changes in this chapter that will totally change the tone of the fic and make the fic my own. I'm not sure exactly how things are going to turn out just yet, as I sit down and write whatever comes to mind... Anyway, I hope to have a few more reviews sometime soon. I love feedback. So, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

**Dinkus** - Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate your opinion that the fic could use more reviews. About the fic being Ron/Hermione, I have a few reasons for that, which I will probably reveal a little later on. I hope you continue to read!

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Harry's arrival was just as Ron and Hermione expected. He shouted, and they listened. He screamed, and they listened some more. He complained, and finally, they had enough.

"We wanted to tell you everything we knew, Harry!" Hermione shouted, tears in her eyes.

"Oh, and I can see that the pair of you tried very hard," Harry replied, not bothering to hide his sarcasm.

"Now that isn't very fair, is it?" Ron said, speaking for the first time. "Dumbledore made us promise, mate. We weren't about to go back on a promise to Dumbledore."

"I would have done it, if it meant helping my best friend," Harry said, adding another hint of sarcasm to the last part.

"Would you?" Ron asked. Harry was silent for some time, thinking about the promise he made to Dumbledore not to tell the pair of them about the demise of Neville's parents.

"Well…" he said.

"Exactly," Ron said in a tone that said the discussion was finally settled. They fell silent for some time, Ron and Hermione sitting on Ron's bed, and Harry pacing back and forth across the room, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"We heard about the Dementors," Hermione said in a feeble voice.

"You should have seen Dumbledore," Ron said.

"He was furious. He was… scary," said Hermione, clasping her hands together in her lap and looking down at them.

"Was he really?" Harry said with a curious look on his face.

"Yeah. He set those guards for a reason, and he wasn't too happy when he found out what nearly happened," Hermione said.

"That's curious. He hasn't written to me much more than the two of you. It's a wonder he would be worried about me at all," Harry said scathingly.

A sudden 'pop' signaled the arrival of Fred and George. Ron and Hermione, long since used to the antics of the twins, didn't flinch. Harry on the other hand had dived to the side and had his wand pointed at the pair of them before they had even fully appeared.

"Oi, Harry! What gives?" George said, looking warily at the wand.

"Nothing… I just… You…" Harry stammered.

"Ah, worry not my young friend. We'll just charge you extra when we open our shop," Fred said with a forced grin as Harry lowered the wand.

"So you're going to open a shop, then?" Harry asked.

"Of course, whenever a good one comes up," George answered, looking down at Harry as if he was daft for even asking the question.

"Until then," Fred started. He pulled out a little yellow piece of candy and popped it into his mouth. In an instant, an explosion rang out, causing the portrait in the hall to scream and wail once more. Harry looked at where Fred had been and instead saw a little yellow bird. A few seconds later, the twin was back to his normal self. "We're opening shop in the Gryffindor common room," Fred finished.

"But that could be dangerous," Hermione said, her eyebrows coming togheter in a way that said she didn't approve at all.

"Oh come off it, Hermione," George said with a grin. "We wouldn't do anything that would put anyone but ourselves in danger."

"And besides, we've tested this stuff on ourselves loads of time, and nothing has happened to us yet," Fred added. The two of them exchanged an unmistakably reminiscent glance.

"Ok, there was that one time…" Fred said.

"But that wasn't our fault. Ginny sneezed into a new batch of Canary Creams, and apparently snot shouldn't mix with the other ingredients," George said.

"How long do you reckon we had those pimples?"

"Oh, maybe a week or so, until we found the cure," George answered after a bit of thought.

"Remind me never to accept any food from either of them," Hermione said as she leaned over and whispered into Ron's ear.

"Likewise," Ron said, watching George demonstrate the affects of the Canary Creams again. He glanced over at Hermione and saw her raise her eyebrows, silently impressed with what the twinswere able to accomplish. From that moment, he knew he was going to have to do something astoundingly impressive to get her attention. But what could he do?

The door opened and Mrs. Weasley stood framed in the door way, towering over them with a slightly frightening air. The twins quickly shoved the candies in their pockets and turned to face their mother.

"What is all this racket?" she hissed "We're in the middle of a very important meeting, and Severus was interrupted in the middle of his report thanks to you."

"Snape is here?" Harry asked, speaking for the first time in a long while.

"Of course dear. He is an important member of the Order," Mrs. Weasley said. "Now, whatever you lot are up to, stop it!"

"Only a game of Exploding Snap, mum!" said Fred with a weak smile.

"It's been so long since we've seen Harry here, we couldn't resist," George said, backing up his brother.

"So long? It's only been a few weeks!" Mrs. Weasley said in a voice that reinforced her disbelief. Secretly, however, she was agreeing that Harry had been away far too long, especially given the muggles he had for a family.

"A few weeks is a few weeks too long," George said, protruding his chest and looking over at Harry significantly. Mrs. Weasley gave a great sigh and turned and left the room. Moments later, the door opened and Ginny entered.

"Hi Harry," she said, walking over to the bed and sitting next to him.

"'Lo, Ginny," Harry said, smiling weakly at her.

"Having a good summer?" she asked him. Everyone in the room caught her playful sarcasm and burst into laughter. Even Harry, who had long since decided to continue to show his irritation, smiled despite himself.

"Wonderful," Harry replied. "So what have all of you been doing all these weeks?"

"Mum has been absolutely adamant to clean this dump up," Ron said.

"And we've been her little house elves," Fred said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Fred!" Hermione shouted.

"Well, it's true," said Fred, defending his previous statement.

"It's been dreadful," George said. "We've had little time to do anything worthwhile, as she calls it. Of course, she doesn't know we're planning on going through with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"We have been able to get some interesting ingredients, such as Doxy venom and Cornish Pixie dust. The combination will be most fascinating," Fred said with a slightly hungry expression.

"Ron and I have spent whatever time we weren't cleaning studying," Hermione said as she leaned back a little on Ron's bed.

"That's been nearly as bad as the cleaning," Ron said in an undertone that went unnoticed.

"The way we figure, if fifth year is going to be as bad as Fred and George are saying, we might as well be prepared," Hermione explained, noticing Harry's perplexed expression.

"So you see, Harry, you honestly haven't missed all that much," Fred said.

"Whenever mum isn't in the kitchen with the others, she prowls the hallways during the Order meetings to make sure we're not listening," George said.

"It's quite annoying, actually," said Ron.

"But naturally, we found a way," Fred said with a wry grin.

"A way?" Harry asked.

"A way to listen to the meetings, of course!" George said. Harry stood up so fast that Hedwig (who had been silent in the corner) hooted in surprise, and Pig (who had been screaching and hooting ever since Harry arrived) screached and hooted louder.

"You found out how to listen to the meetings without Mrs. Weasley knowing?" Harry asked.

"Of course we did! We couldn't go all summer without any information," George said.

"Nor could I," Harry admitted.

"You know, if these two didn't spend all their time making joke stuff," Hermione said, gesturing to Fred and George, "they could make a fortune."

"I have a feeling they'll make a fortune anyways," Ron replied as Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out a long rubbery looking string.

"Extendable Ears," he said with a gleeful grin on his face. "This thing is going to make us a fortune."

"What does it do?" Harry asked apprehensively, remembering all too well how important caution was when it came to taking things from the Weasley twins.

"You put one end in your ear, and slide the other end, say, under a door, and you can hear anything inside as if it was being said right beside you," said Fred.

"You two ought to be careful," Ginny said. "The last time mum found those things she went balistic. I didn't think you had managed to salvage any."

"Well, the information we get out of that meeting will much more important than these things," George said.

"Besides, we can always make more," said Fred.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Harry said. "I want to know what Snape is saying."

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So the entire group walked onto the landing and saw a group of witches and wizards milling about near the door, preparing to leave. The meeting was over, but many of the members of the Order were still having individual conversations, some looking grave, others determined.

George lowered the Extendable Ears until it was just above the heads of the group of people, then split it up so everyone could slide their end in their ear to hear. The closest people were Sirius, Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"I wonder if the Potter kid knows," Kinglsey said.

"Harry will find out eventually," Sirius said quietly. "Sooner or later, either he will put two and two together, or Dumbledore will tell him."

"Well, if I were him I would want to know as soon as I could," Moody said gruffly. "That way I could be prepared for it."

"If Harry knew the truth at this moment, I don't know how he would deal with it," Lupin said. "We all know that he tends to take matters into his own hands, and this is certainly not the time for him to be doing that."

"But what about his friends? Ron and Hermione? What are we going to do about them?" Shacklebolt asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius, shifting his weight from one foot to another and crossing his arms in front of him.

"Well, I know for a fact Molly would not want her youngest son in harm's way," Kingsley began.

"There is no proof that Ron will be in any danger this year, Kingsley," Lupin said.

"There is no proof that he will be safe, either," Shacklebolt said grimly.

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Ron was sitting in the room with Harry and Hermione, his chin resting on his palm as his eyes rested in one spot on his potions book. He read the first line of page 226 three times before he realized it, and glanced up at the others.

Harry was staring at the opposite wall of the room obviously lost in thought about what he had heard the previous night. He had been this way for most of the day, trying to figure out what he wasn't being told. Directly after their dinner the night before, Sirius, Lupin, Mr. Weasley and Bill Weasley finally decided it was time to fill Harry in a bit.

None of them mentioned what had been overheard.

Ron turned his attention to Hermione and watched her writing furiously, her head bent over her notes and her tongue slightly protruding between her lips. How long he sat watching her write, even he didn't know. She glanced up and saw him staring, smiled weakly, and returned to her notes.

Ron looked down at his book and, inspired by Hermione's smile, began reading without the slightest hint of difficulty. The door opened slowly and Ginny poked her head in.

"Lunch," she said quickly before closing the door with a snap. The three of them closed their books and walked down to eat. Mrs. Weasley was standing in the kitchen talking to Sirius, but fell silent as Ron, Harry, and Hermione waked in.

"Alright... Term starts in a week, and we still need to go to Diagon Alley to get your school things," Mrs. Weasley said.

"But we haven't even got our lists yet," Ron said.

"They've only just arrived. A few of them seemed heavier than usual, now that I think of it," Mrs. Weasley said, turning her back and running the water to begin rinsing some of the dishes.

"Oh my..." Hermione said in a weak voice. "I can't believe I forgot..."

"Forgot what?" Harry asked. But Hermione didn't answer. She looked over at the stack of envelopes at the corner of the table, then approached them slowly. She picked them up and handed Ron and Harry their letters, then looked down at her own apprehensively. She opened it, turned it over, and felt a small badge fall into her hand.

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"That's a prefect's badge!" Ron exclaimed.

"Way to go, Hermione!" Harry said brightly. "I wonder which boy will get the badge for Gryffindor."

"That'll be Ron," Ginny said suddenly. The others turned, and sure enough, Ron was holding a badge with his mouth ajar.

"I thought for sure it'd be you, mate!" he said, looking at Harry, his eyebrows lost behind his hairline.

"I told you not to add the Doxy venom until after the pixie dust, didn't I?" Fred said as he walked into the kitchen, looking back out into the hall. George walked in slowly, his face covered in hairy tentacles.

"What's going on?" He said, his eyes trying to see through the waving additions on his face.

"Hermione's made prefect," said Ron quickly without looking up.

"And so has Ron," Ginny said as she admired the lion decorated badge.

"Ickle Ronykins is a PREFECT?" George shouted, causing everyone to look at him for the first time.

"Wh-What happened to you?" Harry said, trying to stifle a laugh.

"OH MY GOODNESS!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, turning around for the first time. "YOU... George, WHAT... HOW COULD..." and then she hurried out of the room, returning only after she had found "Magical Maladies Explained: Identificationa and Treatment" by Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Tentacles... Tentacles..." she said, thumbing through the pages quickly. "I swear, if you two keep this up you'll end up in Azkaban," she said absently.

"Hey mum," Fred said.

"Not now... Tentacles... Tenctacles..."

"Ron's made Prefect," Fred said.

"I said not now, Fred! Tentacles... Tentacles... Tent------ WHAT? RON, THAT'S WONDERFUL!" Mrs. Weasley said, tossing the book aside and embracing her son. "That makes everyone in the family!"

"What are we, next-door-neighbors?" George asked in a voice that sounded like his nose was being pinched as he spoke. Indeed, another tentacle had sprouted out where his nose had been.

"We're going to have to buy you something special when we go to Diagon Alley," Mrs. Weasley said, looking down at the badge. "What do you want? You already have an owl, Fred and George were kind enough to buy you robes over the summer, though I don't know or want to know how..."

"Can I have a broom?" Ron asked hopefully, looking up at his mom.

"Oh, I don't know, dear... They're quite expensive," Mrs. Weasley said. Harry turned to Hermione and whispered something in her ear, but Ron was focused on Mrs. Weasley and didn't notice.

"It doesn't have to be anything spectacular," he said. "Just a newer one."

"Alright, dear, we'll see what we can do," Mrs. Weasley said, turning with a wide smile and returning to the dishes.

"Uhhh... Mum?" George said.

"Yes dear?" Mrs. Weasley said without turning.

"Tentacles... Tentacles..." he answered, holding Gilderoy Lockhart's book in the air.

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A/N: R&R Please! I absolutely love feedback.


	3. Diagon Alley

The next morning, Ron woke up to find himself alone in his room, Harry having long since left for the hearing he had been ordered to attend for the patronus that drove the Dementors away. Ron jumped out of bed immediately, suddenly remembering that this was the day that he was going to Diagon Alley. Today he was getting his new broom.

He was dressed and downstairs in the kitchen in a flash, and found it occupied by Sirius alone.

"Morning, Sirius," Ron said, sitting down at the table next to Harry's godfather.

"Good morning, Ron." Sirius said, not looking up. It was easy to see that he was nervous about the outcome of Harry's hearing. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Early?" Ron asked, perplexed.

"It's only half past six," Sirius said. "You've been sleeping until midday for the past month."

"Only half past six?" Ron exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and rushing to the window. Sure enough, only the uppermost part of the sun could be seen, sending London into a pinkish-purple tint. He returned to the table and sat down, thoroughly deflated. "Great. Now I'll have to wait _forever_ until we go."

The kitchen door opened slowly and Mrs. Weasley walked in carrying a tray of food, closely followed by Tonks, Moody, and Lupin. She set the tray down on the table and everyone grabbed a small bit of it, some of them saying good morning to Ron, others too tired to speak.

"What are you doing awake, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked groggily. "Go on back up to bed," she said.

"I'm already up," Ron said. "I won't be able to go back to sleep now."

"Suit yourself then," Mrs. Weasley said simply, sitting down in a chair and pouring some coffee.

"How long ago did Harry and dad leave?" Ron asked.

"Around an hour or so," Sirius answered.

"They're traveling as muggles," Lupin said. "Arthur thinks it will make a good impression on the Ministry, given Harry's charge."

"Either that, or Arthur wanted to satisfy his curious fascination with muggles again," Mrs. Weasley said, bringing about a light laughter from the group.

"So what do you think Harry's chances are?" Ron asked apprehensively.

"They can't find him guilty," Tonks said almost immediately. She wore hot pink spiky hair this morning, though her face didn't share the lively demeanor. "Self defense is definitely legal, no matter what your age."

"But they wouldn't go through all this trouble if he was defending himself, would they?" Ron said.

"They don't want to believe he was defending himself," Lupin said. "Not from Dementors, anyways. The fact that Dementors were on Privet Drive would mean that the Ministry was indeed wrong, and they have lost control of Azkaban. They're not willing to believe that just yet, but soon they will have to."

Sirius grunted in agreement, sounding a little more enthused than he intended. Everyone knew why, however. As soon as the Ministry believed that Voldemort had returned, he, Sirius, would be a free man. He would be able to fight in the open once more and avoid the snide remarks from Snape.

The kitchen returned to silence, and after a few moment's time, Ron decided to go back up to this room and wait for sunrise there, where he could visualize himself soaring through the air in peace. Besides, he hadn't held his prefects badge since the night before, so he was about due.

"When do you think we'll be leaving?" Ron asked as he stood.

"For goodness sakes, Ron, it's too early to worry about that," Mrs. Weasley said irritably.

Ron turned and walked out into the hall. He was wide-awake now, excited about the trip to Diagon Alley. He, of course, had never had a decent broom of his own, and had envied Harry since the day he made the Quidditch team. Finally, he was going to get a broom of his own. As the kitchen door closed behind him and he turned to head up the stairs, he realized that someone was sitting at the top.

"Good morning, Hermione," Ron said, looking up at her. She even looked gorgeous with her bed hair and baggy eyes, which Ron realized look slightly puffy, as if she had been crying.

"Good morning," she replied quietly.

"What are you doing up so early?" Ron asked, climbing the stairs and taking a seat right next to her.

"I could ask you the same," she said smartly. "I'm worried is all," she added.

"About what?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione.

"Harry, of course!" she said, looking over at Ron in surprise.

"He'll –"

"What will Hogwarts be like without Harry there?" she said in a voice slightly higher than her own.

"Well, Malfoy and Snape would most likely breathe a breath of fresh air," Ron said jokingly.

"I'm serious, Ron! What if Harry can't come back to Hogwarts this year? Where will he go? How will he stay safe when he isn't under Dumbledore's supervision?"

"Well, he'd stay here, I reckon," Ron said, glancing around the gloomy staircase of Grimmauld Place. "I must say I won't envy him. But don't worry, Hermione. There's no way he could be found guilty for defending himself."

"Don't you see, Ron? You've read _The Prophet_ with me all summer. Fudge is trying to make Harry out to look like a spoiled rule breaker," Hermione said, her eyes meeting Ron's. "If he wants to find Harry guilty of something, it is well within his power to do it."

"You've got a point," Ron said thoughtfully. "Harry won't stand a chance on his own."

The two fell into silent thought. Ron suddenly realized he had mixed feelings about the whole thing. Harry had always been a good friend, and Hogwarts definitely would not have been the same if the two of them had never met. On the other side of the coin, however, getting Harry out of the picture would mean more time with Hermione, and that would mean… who knows what?

He shook his head guiltily. He shouldn't even be thinking how school would be without Harry, especially since Harry has been the best friend he ever had. He sighed, half in disappointment at how much time he would lose with Hermione, the other half at himself for thinking such things.

"But brighten up, Hermione," Ron said suddenly. "We have a whole day of Diagon Alley to entertain us. And besides, worrying about it will not change what happens."

Hermione was silent for a long while, contemplating what Ron had just said. "You're right," she muttered finally. "There is nothing we can do. Worrying about it won't change anything."

"I reckon it will take a while for mum to get everything we need in Diagon Alley," Ron started.

"Probably," Hermione said quietly.

"Well… We could… Err…" Ron mumbled. He fell silent and sighed quietly, causing Hermione to glance over at him.

"We could what?" she asked.

"Well… When we're done with our shopping… I was thinking that we could --"

"What are you two doing?" asked a very tired voice from down the hall. It was Ginny, who had woken up when Hermione left the room.

"Nothing," Ron said quickly.

"Doesn't look like 'nothing' to me," Ginny replied, crossing her arms.

"Well, it is," Ron said, slightly sharper than he intended. His cheeks flushed slightly and he turned away from Hermione. He was beginning to hate Ginny and her absolute dreadful timing.

"Well, since nothing is going on," Hermione said as she stood. "I think I'm going to go back to bed."

"Alright, then," Ron said, standing up as well. His eyes met Hermione's for a moment, and then she turned and walked towards Ginny. Ron glared a hole in the back of Ginny's head as she turned and led the way to their room.

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

The time seemed to crawl by to Ron, as he had been sitting on his bed watching the sun slowly make its way into the sky. Finally, after what had to be an eternity, Ron could smell cooking food, which meant Mrs. Weasley was in the process of getting ready for the day and it was safe for Ron to go dowstairs.

He walked into the kitchen and found his mother sitting alone, a freshly filled cup of coffee on the table in front of her. Her chin was resting on the palm of her hand, and her eyes were staring unfocusedly at the opposite wall. The smell of food made Ron's stomach growl, and he glanced over and saw the pancakes flipping themselves periodically, and several spices adding themselves to the meats.

"Morning, dear," Mrs. Weasley said blinking several times and looking at her youngest son.

"Morning," Ron replied, sitting down at the table. "What time do you expect Harry will be back?"

"There's no telling," Mrs. Weasley said, glancing over at the clock on the wall. "It all depends on how the hearing goes."

They both fell into silent thought, wondering where Harry was right now, and wondering how the hearing was going. He thought about what Hermione had said about Hogwarts being different without Harry, and for the first time, Ron really began to worry.

The door to the kitchen opened slowly, and Fred and George walked in, lured by the scent of the food and followed closely by Hermione and Ginny.

"Good morning," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "Breakfast is almost ready, and then we can get ready to go."

"Right," said George, his voice still sounding as though his nose was being pinched, though the tentacles had long since been removed. "We're meeting Lee at Zonko's."

"And what'll you lot be doing?" Mrs. Weasley asked Ginny, Hermione, and Ron.

"Well, I have a few friends to meet," Ginny said.

"It better not be that Michael Corner guy," Ron said, looking over at Ginny.

"Who's Michael Corner?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No one important," Ginny said. "Michael and I have been over for a while."

"Then, it better not be Dean," Ron said.

"Who is Dean?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Gryffindor sixth year that has had his eye on Ginny," Hermione said as she fell into the seat beside Ron. "And it isn't," she added.

"Then who is it?" Ron asked.

"You-know-who," Ginny said with a smile.

"WHAT?" Mrs. Weasley shouted, getting to her feet abruptly. Sirius' mother started wailing in the hall, and the loud thundering of running footfalls could be heard overhead. A few moments later, the wailing ended, and Sirius walked in looking especially tired, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Not YOU-KNOW-WHO, mum…" Ginny said in the same exasperated tone Hermione had used with Ron the previous time "you-know-who" was mentioned.

"Who is You-know-who if it isn't You-Know-Who?" Ron asked.

"I don't know a you-know-who that isn't You-Know-Who, now that I think about it," Fred said thoughtfully.

"What are we talking about?" Sirius said with a perplexed expression.

"You-know-who," George said.

"Ah… Well, It's about time Molly let you lot talk about him, I say," Sirius said as if Mrs. Weasley wasn't even in the room. "Keeping information out of your ears is the worst thing that anyone could do."

Ron laughed to himself, wondering why, if that was Sirius' belief, he was keeping something important from his own Godson.

"Not YOU-KNOW-WHO, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley hissed. "You-know-who."

"Who?" Sirius said, the perplexed expression returning.

"Exactly," Fred and George said together.

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

They ate in silence, each excited about heading to Diagon Alley, where they would undoubtedly see many of their friends from Hogwarts. Ron was finished before anyone and sat watching everyone eat long after his plate was clean. Finally, everyone was fed and watered, and showered and dressed, and they were heading to the fireplace.

"Mrs. Weasley, before we go, could I have a word with you?" Hermione said suddenly as they crowded around the fireplace.

"Sure, dear. You lot wait here," Mrs. Weasley replied. She followed Hermione out of the room, and a few moments later, the pair of them returned. Hermione avoided Ron's questioning gaze, and Mrs. Weasley's face was red, her mouth upturned in a subtle smile.

"Wonder what that was about," Fred muttered, leaning over Ron's shoulder and whispering in his ear. Ron shrugged, very curious himself.

Finally, they were preparing to leave. Ron was the first one up. He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, tossed into the fire, and jumped in with a very enthusiastic shout of his destination. One by one, the others followed, and soon they all had the wonderful smells of Diagon Alley teasing their nostrils.

Fred and George met Lee by the Leaky Cauldron, and Ginny ran for a handful of Gryffindor fourth years, leaving Ron and Hermione with Mrs. Weasley. They walked down the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, looking at all the products as they went.

"Oooh," Hermione said, looking in a small glass display. "I could use a new quill."

"Ok you two, I'll go get your books, you go and buy your parchment and such, and whatever else you might need, and we'll meet outside Flourish and Blott's around midday," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Alright," Ron and Hermione said together.

"Here, Ron." Mrs. Weasley said, pulling out some money. "A bit of spending money."

"Thanks!" Ron shouted, wide-eyed.

"Now you two have fun, and don't do anything Fred and George would do," Mrs. Weasley said as she turned and walked away. Ron and Hermione walked into the shop so Hermione could get her quill, bought a few other things from various shops, and then returned to the street.

"So, where to now?" Hermione said.

"I dunno," Ron muttered. "Anywhere is fine for me," he said. Hermione looked over at him and grinned, and the two of them set off in the opposite direction Mrs. Weasley had gone.

"How about Florean Fortescue's?" Hermione said, gesturing to the ice cream parlor.

"Alright, then," Ron said, craning his head for a better look at Quality Quidditch Supplies, where his broom was waiting for him to walk in. They sat down at a table on the second floor balcony, overlooking the passersby underneath.

"So…" Hermione said between bites. "What were you saying this morning before Ginny came out of her room?"

"Well," began Ron. He took another bite of his ice cream quickly to buy himself some thinking time. How was he supposed to word this without sounding like a prat?

"Come on Ron, it can't be _that_ hard to say," Hermione said, a grin crossing her face. If only she knew…

"I was going to say that we could… You know… hang out or something," Ron said, quickly taking another bite.

"We always 'hang out or something,' Ron," Hermione said.

"Well yeah, but… You know… Actually together… Just… Just the two of us," Run said, deciding it would be easier to just get it over with.

"Oh," said Hermione with a confused look.

"Ron! Hermione!" said a voice from the entrance to the balcony.

"Neville!" said Hermione with a smile.

"Hello, Neville," Ron said. He couldn't help but notice that whenever he was on the verge of progressing his relationship with Hermione, _someone_ had to jump into the conversation.

"Where's Harry?" Neville asked, his eyes scanning the rest of the ice cream parlor.

"At the Ministry," Ron answered quietly, not wanting anyone other than Neville to hear. "He was attacked by Dementors over the summer, and used a patronus to defend himself, and now he's at a hearing."

"HARRY WAS ATTACKED BY DEMENTORS?" Neville shouted. Several heads turned in their direction suddenly.

"Shhh!" Ron and Hermione hissed together.

"Sorry," Neville said quietly as everyone returned to what they were doing.

"It's ok," Hermione said, looking around at the people around them. "I don't think it would be wise for everyone to know that Harry is in trouble, especially since the Ministry will use it in the _Daily Prophet_ to discredit him."

"So, have you had a good summer?" Ron asked, trying to change the subject quickly.

"It wasn't bad," Neville said. "You?"

"Wonderful," replied Hermione. "Ron and I have been studying all summer."

"What for?" Neville asked.

"Fifth year is OWL year," Ron said.

"OH NO!" Neville said, getting to his feet. "I haven't studied at all!" And just like that, he turned and hurried off, obviously heading to study right away.

"Hopeless," Ron said.

"Ron!" Hermione said with a grin. "Anyways, where do you want 'the two of us' to 'hang out'?" she asked.

"I just wanted… You know… To talk…" Ron stammered.

"Ok," Hermione said. "Let's talk."

"Alright," Ron said.

Naturally, the two of them fell into silence and didn't look at each other. The sounds of Diagon Alley continued to ring through their ears, and thoughts of what to say continued to run through their mind, but neither of them spoke for some time. Ron opened his mouth, attempted to say something, swallowed, and gave it up. He tried again, but again couldn't muster the courage.

"Are you two ready?" said a voice from the street. It was Mrs. Weasley, laden with bags and looking up at them. "Let's go get your broom."

Ron stood up quickly partially relieved to be done with the conversation he and Hermione didn't have. He tossed his trash away and was in the street in an instant, followed quickly by Hermione. The three of them headed towards Quality Quidditch Supplies, Ron leading the way and cutting through the crowds.

"Like I said, mum," Ron began, "it doesn't have to be anything too expensive, as long as it's new."

"Well, go ahead and look around," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. Ron and Hermione walked around the shop, looking at various brooms and robes and service kits.

"Blimey," Ron said, looking at the price tag on the Firebolt. "Snuffles must have really wanted to repay Harry after what happened to his other broom," Ron said, shaking his head. Hermione was silent, watching Ron's face light up as they passed each broom stick. He was more excited than she had ever seen.

"Okay mum, I think this one will work," Ron said, gesturing towards the latest in the Cleansweep series.

"Oh, come on, dear," Mrs. Weasley said dismissively. "Sir," she said to a clerk. He walked over and rested on the counter. "We would like a Nimbus 2001, please," Mrs. Weasley said. Ron's jaw dropped so fast that it nearly popped out of place.

"But… But mum, you don't have to… We can't…" Ron stammered.

"A gift from Harry," Hermione said with a smile. "We've been keeping it from you all this time. He told me to have your mum pull some money out of his vault specifically for the broom."

"But I can't take a Nimbus 2001 from Harry!" Ron said, turning on Hermione as if she was daft.

"Oh, come off it, Ron," she said. "His parents left him more than enough money for the rest of his life. He said, though, that you shouldn't expect much in the way of presents for the next few Christmases."

"But he… I…" Ron stammered.

"Here you are," the clerk said, returning from the back. "A Nimbus 2001." He handed it across the counter to Ron, who took it and held it with relish. His hands stroked the smooth handle, and his eyes scanned every inch of the broom before Mrs. Weasley forced him to let the clerk wrap it so they could leave. Very reluctantly, Ron allowed the broom to be taken out of his hands.

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

"He bought you a what?" Fred said when they had met up to return to Grimmauld Place.

"A Nimbus 2001," Ron said smugly, holding the broom in his hands as if it would break if he dropped it.

"He did not," George said stopping, his mouth opening in a similar way Ron's had.

"He did," Hermione said.

"But why?" George asked.

"He doesn't even play Quidditch!" Fred complained, as if Ron wasn't even there.

"He could," Hermione said.

"That would be a long year for the Gryffindor Quidditch team," George said, causing Ron's ears to turn red as he walked ahead of them.

"How would you know?" Hermione asked. "Have you ever seen him play?"

"Of course we have," Fred said simply.

"And it was dreadful," George added. Ron turned and looked at his brothers.

"I blocked a fair amount of shots from both of you when you made me keeper," Ron said.

"Come on, you lot! You're blocking the path!" Mrs. Weasley had turned and realized that the children were no longer following her. Indeed, a large throng of travelers were behind them, waiting for them to use the Floo powder so they could have their chance. One by one, they walked forward, grabbed a handful of the powder, and tossed it into the flames. Eventually, all of them were back at Grimmauld Place, looking up into the eyes of none other than Severus Snape.


	4. The Return to Hogwarts

Ron looked up into the cold face of their potions master, as did the others. Snape was standing by the fire as if he had been waiting for them.

"Where is he?" Snape asked without greeting, brushing his greasy hair out of his face.

"Still at the hearing, I suppose," Mrs. Weasley said, pushing her way to the front of the group.

"Not Potter, Molly. I know where that troublemaker is."

"Then who are you looking for?"  
"Black!"

"Sirius isn't here?" Hermione asked, looking worried.

"No, he isn't here," Snape said sharply turning his head in Hermione's direction.

"But… Where could he have gone?" Ron asked.

"Well, all I have to say is it's about time he got out," George said, crossing his arms.

"Agreed. This place was driving him mad," Fred added.

"I agree that this place is nothing more than a hovel," Snape said in barely more than a whisper, "but every moment Sirius Black is outside this house, he is even more of a liability to the Order."

"Even so," Mrs. Weasley said stiffly, "the fact that he may be a liability to the Order does not mean we know where he is."

"Where who is?" said a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned and saw Harry standing there with a grin that could only mean he was cleared.

"Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said softly.

Harry's grin faded.

"What?"

"Sirius Black is not in this house," Snape said.

"What is he doing here?" Harry asked, looking at Snape and not bothering to mask the hatred he was feeling.

"A fair enough question," Mrs. Weasley said, turning to Snape. "What _are_ you doing here?"

"An even fairer question," Snape said, his eyes narrowing, "is what is Black doing away from here?"

"Perhaps you didn't look around the house closely enough?" Hermione suggested.

"Of course I 'looked around the house closely enough,'" Snape said, not even glancing over at Hermione. "Now, where is he?"

"Severus, I already said we do no know where Sirius is," Mrs. Weasley said, walking past him and setting the bags down. She returned to full height and turned. "Is there anything else?"

"No," Snape said. "But if Black manages to make his way back here before the Ministry or the Death Eaters catch him--"

"Yeah, you would know a lot about what the Death Eaters are planning, wouldn't you?" Harry said hotly. Snape looked like he would enjoy nothing more than cursing Harry, but obviously resisted the temptation, returning his attention to Mrs. Weasley and finishing his sentence as if uninterrupted.

"—I would tell him that Dumbledore wants him to stay here for a reason, and every time he leaves this house, he is throwing Dumbledore's trust out the window and putting his best wishes for Potter at the bottom of his list," Snape said.

"And I'd expect you have his best wishes at heart, do you?" said a new voice. Everyone turned and saw Lupin and Mr. Weasley standing next to Harry, having escorted him back from the hearing. It was Lupin who had spoke.

"Ah, Remus…" Snape said.

"Severus," Lupin said, nodding curtly and standing aside, leaving a clear path to the doorway as if signaling Snape could go.

They all watched as he rubbed his forearm slowly, then made his way out the door. Lupin closed it behind him with a bang, and all was silent.

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

Ron sat in his room with Hermione and Harry, talking about how their day had gone. It had been an hour or so since they returned, and Sirius was still nowhere to be seen, and secretly, Harry was beginning to feel thoroughly worried.

"So you were cleared of all charges?" Ron asked Harry.

"Wouldn't have done it if Dumbledore hadn't showed," Harry said.

"Yeah, Ron and I had a feeling it would have been hard to go it alone," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"How was Diagon Alley?" Harry asked as he fed Hedwig an owl treat.

"The same as always," said Hermione.

"Except for the fact that you bought me a NIMBUS 2001," said Ron, holding the broomstick in his lap and looking at it incessantly.

"No worries, mate," Harry said as he forced a grin.

"But you didn't have to, Harry," said Ron, still unable to peel his eyes off the broom.

"Yeah, and Malfoy doesn't have to be a prat, but he does a good job at it," Harry replied. All three of them laughed. The door opened slowly and Mrs. Weasley poked her head in.

"Are you lot packed? I don't want to have to rush tomorrow like we always do," she said.

"Yeah, mum, we're ready to go," Ron answered.

"Good." Mrs. Weasley retreated back into the hall and went towards the staircase, up to Fred and George's room.

"Hey Harry, when we get to school, do you want to go down to the Quidditch pitch and play a game?" Ron asked, looking down at his broom again.

"Sure," Harry answered.

"Fifth year is supposed to have a lot of homework, you two," Hermione said. "Remember?"  
"Of course I remember," Ron said, looking up. "That doesn't mean I have to care."

"YOU ARE A PREFECT!" Hermione said, standing up very fast. "If you were to say that in front of a first year, you could ruin the importance they might have placed in their education before."

"Thank goodness there aren't any ickle firsties around then," Ron said. Hermione spun around and growled all the way to the door.

"I've always said it. Mental, that one," Ron said.

Harry forced another grin. He was beginning to worry even more, and his face showed it.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"Just worried about Sirius, that's all," Harry answered.

"Ah, don't worry about it too much, mate. I reckon Sirius just wanted to stretch his legs a little bit. And besides, the Snuffles disguise hasn't failed him yet."

"Yeah, but I've been thinking about what Snape said," Harry confessed.

"What? Don't even bother with that great big, enormous, steamy pile of---"

"Shit," Harry said, rubbing his knuckles against his forehead.

"Exactly."

"No, I mean… What if Sirius _was_ nabbed by the Death Eaters?" Harry said, leaning forward.

"If he was, we'd know," Ron replied simply, standing up and crossing his arms in front of his chest. He couldn't sit still, and he kept shooting nervous glances over at the Nimbus, which he had been worried would fall every second since he set it down.

"How do you reckon?"

"Well, for one thing, Sirius is the most wanted wizard in the world, behind You-Know-Who of course. Anyone who saw him would want to collect the reward."

"We're talking about Death Eaters here, Ron… If they find him, they'll want to bring him to Voldemort so he can be killed. They're not going to go and turn him into the Ministry of Magic." Ron flinched at the name as always.

"Fair point," he said, sitting down and deflating slightly.

"And what's worse is that we're leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow," Harry said. "And if he isn't back before we leave…"

"What will you do?" Ron asked apprehensively.

"I'll have to go to school, of course. Dumbledore didn't put all that work into saving my neck just so I could throw it all away."

"You never told us how Dumbledore helped you get out of trouble," Ron said.

"He pointed out the facts," Harry said simply. "There was no way Fudge could ignore it, and the rest of them either."

"The rest of them?"

"Yeah, all the other witches and wizards that were there in the court room."  
"Blimey," Ron said. "That means you got--"

"—a full trial. Yes, I know," Harry replied. The two of them fell into silence for quite some time, thinking about several different things.

CRACK.

"Hey there, Harry," Fred said.

"Hey," Harry answered, slightly shocked by the sudden appearance of the twins.

"Tomorrow's the big day," George said with a smile.

"This is going to be a good year indeed," Fred said.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"We talked to Lee Jordan in Diagon Alley, and he said he would start spreading the word about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," Fred said.

"We already have loads of orders," George added, holding up a stack of papers.

"Better not let Hermione see," Harry said with a grin.

"In that case, we better not let ickle prefect Ronnie see either," said George with a nod to their younger brother.

"Shut it, George," Ron said.

"Or what? Gonna start docking points from Gryffindor?" Fred said.

"I would never take points from my own house," Ron said.

"And besides, Prefects cannot take points away at all," said a voice from the doorway. They looked and saw Hermione leaning against the frame of the door, her arms folded across her chest. She gave Ron a contemptuous look.

"Whew," Fred said.

"Nothing to worry about, then!" George added.

"Dinner is almost ready," Hermione said stiffly, turning and leaving the room again.

"What's with her?" George asked.

"Harry and I made plans to go down to the pitch and play some Quidditch on the first weekend back. Then Hermione reminded us we'll have loads of homework," said Ron. "I told her I didn't really care right now."

"Why would that get her all bent out of shape?" Fred asked, thumbing through the stack of papers and looking for an order form to match up with the checklist he and George had made.

"The two of us never gave much attention to homework, and look at us," George said.

"She wants me to set some kind of example for the younger people," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, that is your duty as ickle prefect," Fred said. The door opened again, and this time Ginny poked her head in.

"Mom said get downstairs," she said.

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

Harry and Ron walked into the kitchen a few minutes later to find Lupin, Mr. Weasley, Bill Weasley, and Tonks sitting at the table, heads bent together.

"I do not think this is going to work," Mr. Weasley said. "Someone will know what is going on. There will be no way of missing it."

"Dumbledore thinks this will work," Lupin said calmly. "That is all the reassurance I need."

"But what if it doesn't?" Tonks asked.

"I think we all know what will happen if it doesn't work," Mr. Weasley said quietly. "And I know that none of us want that to happen."

"It is risky," Bill said, leaning back in his chair. "But I think everything will be fine if it works."

"High risk equals high reward?" Mr. Weasley said.

"Exactly."

"Besides," said Tonks. "This is one way to make sure that nothing funny happens… This way we can make sure Harry doesn't hurt anyone."

"What's going on?" Harry said apprehensively. Everyone at the table jumped and turned, not even noticing that anyone had entered the room. They cleared their throats and sat up straight in their seats, each of them trying to find something to do to make it look as if nothing peculiar was going on.

"Nothing too important," Mr. Weasley said with a smile.

"It sounded pretty important to me," Harry said, crossing his arms in front of him. "Who am I allegedly going to hurt?"

"Harry, there is nothing for you to worry about," Mr. Weasley said, a little more firmly than before. "Trust me. You will know everything in due time."

"Oh yeah, great, keep me in the dark just like over the summer. Well, we all know what happened the last time you tried it," Harry raised his voice a little bit. "I was attacked by two Dementors and almost expelled for it!"

"Harry," Lupin said calmly.

"WHAT?" Harry shouted. Immediately, he felt guilty, but Lupin showed no sign of offense.

"Listen to me. You are in no danger, and neither is anyone that knows you. That is to say, you are as safe as you can be, given the fact that Lord Voldemort has returned."

"Then what is going on?" Harry demanded. The group of people at the table exchanged nervous glances. Finally, Lupin shrugged and returned his gaze to Harry.

"We think that--"

"Dinnertime!" Mrs. Weasley said as she came into the door carrying a large tray full of food. The twins entered the kitchen followed by Ginny and Hermione, and after a look of warning from Lupin, Harry was forced not to press the issue until later.

"So, do all of you have everything packed?" Mrs. Weasley said as she sat down.

"Yes, mum," Ron said. "You've already asked us."

"Good, dear," Mrs. Wesley said with a smile.

"I can't wait until tomorrow," Ginny said.

"It's going to be a pain," Tonks said, grabbing a plate and scooping some mashed potatoes onto it.

"Everyone wants to make sure Harry here is safe, so we're going to have to wait for Alastor and a handful of others to arrive before we leave," Mr. Weasley explained, noticing the inquiring looks from the children.

"Why does everyone want to make sure I'm safe?" Harry asked.

"Because, Harry, you've already been attacked once this summer. Someone wants to hurt you," Lupin said.

"I wonder who…" Harry muttered, causing everyone except for himself to laugh.

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

After they were fed and watered, Ron, Hermione, and Harry went back up to Harry and Ron's room and sat down, talking once more.

"I hope we get to the train on time," Hermione said worriedly.

"I just wonder what they were talking about before dinner," Harry said, sitting down on the bed and leaning back against the wall.

"What?" Hermione asked in a confused way.

"Blimey!" Ron shouted. "She didn't hear it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Before dinner, Lupin, Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Tonks were talking about something, but they wouldn't tell us what."

"Surely you were able to get a vague idea," Hermione said hopefully.

"We got much more than a vague idea," Ron said, looking over at Harry.

"They said…" Harry paused and looked at Hermione apprehensively. "They basically said they're worried about me."

"Well yeah, everyone is," Hermione said.

"They're worried about me attacking someone at the school." Harry finished. A very awkward silence filled the room for a few moments, during which Harry and Ron looked to Hermione for a reaction. Her face was disbelieving.

"Why would they be worried about something like that?" Hermione asked. "Honestly, the only person I can imagine you 'attacking' is Malfoy, and I'm sure no one would blame you for that one."

"You are a Prefect," Ron said in a singsong voice.

"Shut it," Hermione said, glaring at Ron.

"I'm only saying… You could ruin the importance the first years might have placed in following the rules before." Ron said. Hermione groaned in frustration.

"At any rate, if they're worried you'll attack someone, then they've probably already concocted a plan to prevent it," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"They have," Harry said. "They were talking about that when we went into the kitchen."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens," Hermione said, shrugging. "But Harry, don't let this bother you. There is a lot that is going to need done in the first few weeks back, and you can't have your mind wandering when it should be focusing on schoolwork."

"I only wish Sirius were here," Harry said. "He would tell me what I needed to know."

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

Next morning was as chaotic as ever. Fred and George, who were prone to use magic in an attempt to save time, kept knocking people down the stairs as they zoomed their belongings to the bottom. Crookshanks was nowhere to be found. Pig had somehow managed to get out of his cage and had taken to flying around the house like an animal possessed. Ginny had misplaced her school robes, though she swore she had them in her trunk the night before.

"FRED, GEORGE, WILL YOU JUST CARRY YOUR TRUNKS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE?" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

Of course, amid all the chaos, the portrait of Sirius' mother was wailing like there was no tomorrow. No one bothered to silence her anymore, simply because something would just rouse her again.

"RON, GET THAT RUDDY BIRD BACK IN ITS CAGE!" Mrs. Weasley shouted again.

"HARRY!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. Harry turned at here and ducked just in time, as Pig was zooming right at him. He ducked out of the way, causing Pig to smash into the curtains and fall to the floor. Ron seized his chance and pounced on his owl, clasping him gently between his fingers. 

"Gotcha!" Ron shouted. He turned and put Pig back in his cage, just as Hermione came panting down the stairs holding a hissing Crookshanks.

"She was up in the attic where Buckbeak used to be!" she said.

"Buckbeak is gone?" Harry said.

"I reckon Sirius took him," Ron said thoughtfully as they crowded around the door.

"Listen up, you lot," said a gruff voice in front of them. It was Moody, and he looked extremely agitated. Ron guessed it was from the very stressful morning, during which Moody probably believed his life was in danger seventeen times. "I want you all to stick close together. Myself and Lupin will be with you, and Tonks will be walking behind us."

"Is that it? Is that the 'major' security Dumbledore wanted?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"If I were you, boy, I would be a little more grateful that Dumbledore is worried about you at all." Moody said coldly. Ron glanced over at Hermione and saw here glaring at the back of Harry's head with a confused face. They walked down the road in silence for some time.

"You can't tell me we're _walking_ all the way to King's Cross," said Ron incredulously.

"We are," Moody grunted.

"But… That could take forever."

"Better to arrive safely late than not to arrive at all."

"Not if we miss the Hogwarts Express," Hermione said. For nearly twenty minutes they walked, until finally, they were just about to enter Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

"Ok, I'll go with Harry, and the rest of you follow behind when no one is looking," Tonks said. Harry glanced over his shoulder at the group of people behind him and noticed Moody looking in every direction very cautiously. He felt a firm hand grasp his shoulder and pull him towards the barrier dividing platforms nine and ten.

"Don't mind Moody," Tonks said as they walked. "He's just… moody…"

"Yeah," Harry said glumly.

"I can understand that you are frustrated about all of this, Harry, but you have to know that Dumbledore has his reasons," Tonks continued.

"Why does everyone think I'm going to attack someone?" Harry asked.

"Well… Dumbledore will tell you in due time."

"I don't want to know in 'due time.' I want to know now," Harry said, feeling his impatience surfacing again.

"If I could tell you, I would," Tonks said. "But Dumbledore made us all make an unbreakable promise not to tell you more than you need to know until the time is right. That is, until he gives us permission to do so."

"Who is Dumbledore to decide when the time is right for me to know what is going on?" Harry said angrily.

"You know exactly who Dumbledore is to make such decisions. He knows more than anyone else, in and out of the Order," Tonks said calmly. "I wouldn't be surprised if he had a little Seer blood in him." Harry fell silent. He knew that Tonks was right, but he was still highly irritated about the whole situation.

"Alright, on the count of three…"

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

Ron and Hermione stood side by side, watching Tonks lead Harry away to the platform.

"I've been noticing a lot of changes in Harry," Hermione said.

"So have I," Ron said.

"So have we all," added Lupin from behind them. "But that is only to be expected, given what he went through two months ago."

"But still…" Ron said. "I don't like the changes at all."

"None of us do, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "This has all got to be very difficult for Harry. I expect him to receive plenty of snide remarks this year."

"Potter's a tough kid," Moody growled, not bothering to look at the others as his head was swiveling in every direction looking for possible danger. "He'll be fine."

"But still, I want you two to look after him," Mrs. Weasley said. "As prefects, you can help prevent some of the chastising."

"Do you really think there is any reason for us to worry about… well… ourselves?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think it will come to that," Lupin said. "But if you do see any worrisome changes, go straight to Dumbledore or your new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. They'll know what to do."

"_New_ Care of Magical Creatures teacher?" Hermione said.

"Where's Hagrid?" Ron asked.

"Don't worry your heads about that," Mrs. Weasley said sternly. "He's away on Dumbledore's orders."

"But… Will he be back?" Ron asked.

"They're gone," Moody growled. "Our turn."

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

When the scarlet train swam into view, all of the misgivings Ron and Hermione had shared vanished. They were finally going back. Harry stood in front of them with Tonks, smiling at the train despite how horribly his mind was racing.

"You lot have a good term," Mrs. Weasley said with a warm smile.

"Oh don't worry, we will," Fred said slyly.

"'Bye mum!" George shouted as the twins hurried off to join Lee, who they noticed by the train.

"YOU TWO DON'T DO ANYTHING YOU NORMALLY WOULD!" Mrs. Weasley shouted after them.

"Lupin," Harry said, turning.

"Yes?"

"If… _When_… Sirius comes home, could you write me and let me know?"

"Of course," Lupin said with a smile. "You three be safe."

A whistle sounded off in the distance, and the train began to billow steam. The three of them, followed closely by Ginny, boarded the train quickly, said their goodbyes to the others, and set off in search of a compartment.

"So, where to?" Harry asked brightly.

"Er…" Hermione began, looking at Ron.

"We have to go to the front carriage for a prefects meeting," Ron said.

"Oh. Right," Harry said, turning.

"We would much rather come with you, mate," Ron said. "But… You know… Prefect's duties…"

"No problem," Harry said, frowning slightly. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Right," Hermione said.

Ron and Hermione left Harry and Ginny and made their way towards the front of the train. They passed compartment after compartment, and finally arrived at the front. The slid the prefect's compartment open and found themselves standing in the doorway to a large circular room, in the center of which was a large round table that seated ten.

"Great, that's everyone," said a voice. Ron looked and saw a tall, very Percy-ish person standing with his hands clasped in front of him.

"Hermione, look," Ron said, nudging her. He nodded towards a pair of people sitting closest to the window.

"How could they make MALFOY a prefect?" Hermione said.

"I dunno," Ron answered. "Parkinson, too."

"Ok then, let's get started," said a very pretty girl. It dawned on Ron that these two must be the head boy and girl at Hogwarts this year. Ron and Hermione sat down in the last two remaining seats and watched the head boy and girl, Hermione with rapt enthusiasm, Ron with slight skepticism.

"Alright, first of all, I'm Emma Ulbrich," said the girl. "I'm a Hufflepuff seventh year."

"And I am Benjamin Boyd from Ravenclaw," said the boy.

"You have been handpicked by Albus Dumbledore himself to represent your houses as Prefects. As such, you are going to be given several new responsibilities," said Emma.

"For starters, you now have the power to give out detentions to any rule breakers," said Benjamin. To this, Ron saw Malfoy smirk.

"Also, you are given special permission to use the Prefect's bathroom, which is off limits to everyone else, besides Quidditch captains," Emma added.

"But perhaps the most important thing that you are going to do from now until you leave Hogwarts is provide aid to students whenever they need it," Benjamin said. "That will start directly after the feast tonight."

"As you probably well know, prefects lead the first years to their common room and teach them the password. Please note that it is not advised to write the passwords down, as… well…"

"Bad things can happen," Benjamin finished as Emma paused.

"Like what?" Malfoy said jokingly.

"For instance, a few years ago, a Gryffindor third year wrote down the password when the murderer Sirius Black was on the loose, and he managed to get into--"

"You mean Longbottom, the fat lump?" Malfoy said. "I heard about that."

"Did you?" Hermione said, glaring at Malfoy.

"The whole school did," Malfoy said. "Disgraceful, really…"

"Yes, well, at any rate, do not let the first years write the passwords. Before you leave here today, you will be given a slip of parchment with your common room passwords written down. But before then, Dumbledore has been kind enough to send us a bite of lunch," Emma said.

The compartment door slid open and the lunch trolley was wheeled in, covered with foods and drink instead of candies. The woman who normally pushed the food cart now set down a plate in front of each of them in turn, and gave them what they ordered instantly.

"You know, I could get used to this Prefect stuff," Ron said after swallowing a bite.

"It is going to be great, isn't it?" Hermione said.

"It is."

"So, Weasley, how long has it been since Potter died?" Malfoy said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ron asked.

"Well, the only way you would ever beat Potter at something was if someone killed him," Malfoy finished, causing Pansy Parkinson to laugh. The other prefects simply looked at Malfoy and returned to their own conversations as if they had been uninterrupted.

"Don't mind him," Hermione said, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"Harry's right," Ron said, glaring at Malfoy, who had long since returned to his conversation with Pansy. "Malfoy _is_ good at being a prat."

"That's true enough," Hermione said, taking another sip of her juice. "I have a feeling it won't be long before he starts abusing his powers."

The two of them fell silent for some time, listening to the other Prefects converse happily. It was awkward for Ron, being with Hermione away from Harry once again. It seemed like forever since it had just been the two of them at Grimmauld Place, before Harry had come, and Ron was finding it hard to have the same freedom of speech that he had had before.

"I wonder what's up with Hagrid," Ron said finally, deciding to come to a topic that they could both talk about without worry.

"Me too," Hermione said. "I hope nothing has happened to him."

"I just hope that the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher isn't Grubbly-Plank," Ron said, poking his food with his fork.

"Grubbly-Plank is a fine teacher!" Hermione said, looking over at Ron.

"Exactly. If she comes to Hogwarts again, everyone will be oohing and ahhing about her, and Hagrid will be that much closer to being out of a job."

"Oh, come off it, Ron. Dumbledore would never fire Hagrid now that he has a legitimate job."

"But still…"

"What I'm curious about is our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Hermione said.

"Blimey, that's right. I forgot that we don't have one, now that Moody is Moody again."

"So Weasley," said the drawling voice that both of them immediately recognized as Malfoy's again.

"What?" Ron said.

"Do you and your family still live in that hole in the ground?"

"Now, that is quite enough," said Benjamin sternly. "All you have done since the two of them arrived is give them a hard time."

"What do I care?" Malfoy said.

"That isn't the way a Perfect should behave," Emma said.

"Oh, and what are you going to do? Strip me of my title?"

"It is well within our power to have it done," Benjamin said.

"And I would love to see you try it. My father would make sure you never get a legitimate job. And _that_ is well within _his_ power," Malfoy said, smirking at the head boy and girl.

"While that may be, he is not here to save you right now," Emma said, looking down at Malfoy as if he were something disgusting. "So, I think it is quite time for you to leave."

"And what if I said I didn't want to?" Malfoy asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You going to put me, a prefect, in detention?"

"Prefects are not immune to detention," Benjamin said. "I'm sure you will find out soon enough."

"I doubt that," Malfoy said.

"Honestly, I expected something like this from a Slytherin," Emma said. "But I don't see why Dumbledore approved you, of all people, to represent that house."

"Because I am the best in the fifth year," Malfoy said.

"Then Slytherin is going downhill, I'm afraid," Benjamin said. Malfoy's face reddened.

"Come on, Pansy," he said.

"What did you call me?" Benjamin said, standing up.

"Not you," Emma said in his ear, nodding to the girl that was sitting by Malfoy.

"Oh… Miss Parkinson… Understood…"

Pansy stood up and took her leave with Malfoy.

"Honestly…" Benjamin said. The others returned to their own conversations.

"If Malfoy is willing to talk like that to the head boy and girl…" Hermione began.

"Harry is in for a rough year," Ron finished.

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

For nearly two hours, Ron and Hermione stayed in the Prefect's carriage, talking to each other happily. Ron was excited with the way things were going, and he couldn't help but notice that Hermione was looking at him with a funny expression, as if she had just solved a riddle that had been bothering her for a long while.

"Alright," Benjamin said, standing up. The conversations died down slowly.

"You are free to go and sit where you want," Emma said. "But what we need from you is assurance that you will patrol the corridors from time to time to make sure that everything remains orderly."

There was a general murmur of consent, and then the prefects were dismissed. Ron couldn't help but want to stay glued to his seat talking to Hermione happily, but he knew that he couldn't. He knew that Harry, who had never been on the Hogwarts Express without Ron's company, would be waiting expectantly for the pair of them to return.

"You ready?" Hermione said, standing up.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Ron replied, standing as well. The two of them headed over to the compartment door and entered the corridor behind the other prefects.

"I wonder where Harry is," Hermione said over her shoulder to Ron.

"I think I saw Ginny and him walking towards the end of the train," Ron said. The kept walking long after the prefects from the other houses had retreated into compartments one by one. Soon, they came to the very last compartment, slid the door open, and saw Harry, Ginny, Neville Longbottom, and a blonde girl sitting in silence.

"Wotcher, Harry!" Ron said.

"Hey," Harry said glumly.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"N-Nothing," Harry stammered.

"Nothing?" Ginny said, looking at him incredulously. "Neville decided to poke his plant right before Cho Chang walked in."

"Is that… _Mimbulus Mimbletonia?_" Hermione said.

"Yes," Neville said brightly.

"That means you were all showered in…"

"Stinksap, yes," Ginny said.

"Oh Harry, did she…"

"Run? Of course," Harry said glumly.

"Well that must have been…" Ron said.

"Hilarious?" said the blonde girl suddenly. "It was."

"No, I meant horrible," Ron said.

"Depending on how you look at it, it was horrible too."

Ron and Hermione stepped into the carriage at last and sat down in the two remaining seats, directly across from each other. Ron couldn't help but glance over at Hermione, and saw that she was still looking at him in the same peculiar way she had been looking at him in the prefects' carriage. She turned away when her name was called.

"How was the prefects meeting, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"Interesting, to say the least," Hermione answered.

"Guess who Slytherin's prefects are?" Ron said.

"Malfoy?" Harry guessed.

"Of course," Ron answered. "And Pansy Parkinson."

"Perfect," Harry moaned.

"Prefect," Ron corrected.

"Whatever. Are you two in here for the rest of the trip?"

"No," Hermione said. "We have to patrol the corridors from time to time, that's about it."

"I expect we should be at the school sometime soon," the blonde girl said.

"Right," Ron said awkwardly.

"Oh, sorry," said Ginny suddenly. "This is Luna Lovegood, and those two are Hermione Granger and--"

"Ronald Weasley…" the blonde finished.

"How did you know?" Ron asked, leaning forward and looking around Neville.

"You took Padma Patil to the Yule Ball last year," Luna said, "and she had the most horrible time ever."

"Oh… Right," Ron said, looking slightly crestfallen.

"Why did you treat her so bad anyways?" Luna asked.

"Because I didn't really want to go with her in the first place," Ron said. "I wanted to go with--" He caught himself just before saying it. "Someone else," He finished lamely. Hermione's eyes narrowed and her mouth curled into a satisfied grin, but she didn't say anything.

"Then why did you ask her?" Luna asked.

"He didn't," Harry piped up. "I asked her for him when I asked Parvati."

"Come to think of it, she didn't enjoy herself too much either," Ginny said.

"Oh well. I had my mind on other things that night. I was too irritated watching Cho dance with… Well…" Harry fell silent, and so did the rest of the carriage. The others hadn't heard him come so close to talking about Cedric in some time, and it was awkward to hear him almost do it.

"At any rate," Hermione said brightly, "We need to start getting ready. It is getting dark, which means we're almost there."

Another hour or so crept by, and finally, the train was slowing and entering Hogsmeade station. It was a clear, cool night, and the voices of the emerging passengers carried a great distance. Ron looked up at Hogwarts Castle, Hermione and Harry at each of his shoulders, and smiled. They were back.


End file.
